


The Dragon Inside

by 42 Is the Answer (essyr)



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Drabble Collection, Dragon Slayers, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-06
Updated: 2014-12-06
Packaged: 2018-02-28 09:46:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2727749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/essyr/pseuds/42%20Is%20the%20Answer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They are human, yet they are dragon, two species in one. The only thing to do now is to stay sane.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Shadows Inside

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on FanFiction.Net under the pen name 42.Is.the.Answer
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail in any way. This is just me [over]thinking about the characters and writing it down.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mild spoilers for GMG arc.

_The Dragon Inside_

By essyr (42.Is.the.Answer)

* * *

They were in him.

Shadows, so many shadows. Darkness, whispering inside him, enticing him, telling him that he would have so much more power if he just killed, just killed everyone in his path, leaving no one in his wake. Kill his enemies, for they would try to usurp him. Kill his allies, for they would not be loyal.

_Kill his friends, for they were his greatest weakness._

* * *

They never stopped.

Even at his happiest, even with Sting and Frosch and all of his nakama (what a wonderful word: _nakama_ ), they were still there. Always in him, driving him insane, trying to break him, trying to overwhelm him, trying to beat him into submission with their endless stream of propaganda.

 _Kill them_ , they'd say, _Kill them all. And then you will be strong._

* * *

He supposed that he only had Skiadrum to blame for this insanity, this bloodlust inside of him.

 _Kill me_ , he'd said all those years ago. _It will make you stronger. You will have all the power of a Shadow Dragon. I am sick; I have nothing more to gain. But you, my son, you can have_ everything _._

It tainted him, killing his father. It'd been an ugly affair, and what was even worse was that Skiadrum hadn't fought him at all and just sat there while _his own_ son slew him with _his own_ power that he _taught_ him.

The shadows came for the first time that night.

* * *

They festered inside of him. 

Everyday they grew stronger, and he could only grow stronger with them in order to not cave in to the darkness inside him. He was lucky; he had help. Sting and Frosch were always there whenever he was particularly weak, and Gajeel became an eternal beacon of hope. After all, he'd been able to escape his past of being Phantom Lord's biggest and baddest. Gajeel knew the shadows more than almost anybody.

Just not him.

* * *

Sometimes, he wondered if Skiadrum asked him to kill him just so he could escape them.

After all, the Shadow Dragon'd had to deal with them for centuries. He'd only known the shadows for about a decade, yet he was already dying inside. It was bad normally, it was worse while using Shadow Drive, and it was hell in Dragon Force. He needed to heed the shadows'  wishes, yet he couldn't, because that would mean betraying Sting, betraying Frosch, betraying his nakama.

And he couldn't do that.

* * *

He was stronger than them.

Even after all those nights, alone but for the shadows, even after all the high points and the low points, he'd _survived_. He hadn't caved in. He was still him. He was still good. He'd survived for this long. He'd survive even longer.

After all, Rogue Cheney wasn't defined by shadows.

 


	2. The Whiteness Inside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mild spoilers for the GMG arc.

It was in him.

The white, the oh-so-blinding, holy, pure, _unforgiving_ white. It engulfs him, telling him to be stronger, to rid the world of those less pure than he is, starting with the shadow-covered, _no-good_ Rogue, and then moving on to the dark guilds before taking down Kurogane, who'd done so many terrible things in his time in Phantom Lord, Cana and Bacchus for drinking so much they spent more time drunk than not, Rufus and Orga and Laxus for all their pride and arrogance, those Trimen along with Gildarts and those two older perverts at Fairy Tail for their lust and blatant womanizing.

And in the end, he'd kill himself, for after he'd rid the world of the sins of others, the only thing left to purge would be himself.

* * *

It made him hate everything.

No matter where he looked, he saw ugliness. It made him notice things that he couldn't ignore. He saw the man who took his paycheck straight to the bar where he'd drink himself under the table and come home and take it all out on his wife and children. He saw the woman who'd neglect her family, caring much more about the latest gossip and luxuries than her children's well-being. He saw the child who'd hurt and steal from the younger kids, and the teacher who turned a blind eye.

He saw _everything_ , yet he could do nothing but wait and bide his time.

* * *

It compelled him.

No matter where he was or what he was doing, he was always compelled to purge any evil or darkness that he saw. It was his _sacred duty_ , it'd said, for he has the _holy power of the White Dragon_. He always fought against it, but it was strong, and one point always resonated in his mind: _those who are strong enough will become impervious to sin_. If only he were strong, and if only everyone else he knew were strong, then they wouldn't sin, and in the end, when the time came to purge the world, he _wouldn't have to kill them_. He'd like that a lot, so there was only one thing to do:

He just had to be stronger.

* * *

It'd been there for him when he had nothing else.

There'd been many years, many hard, _lonely_ years between killing Weisslogia and finding Lector, and then there were many, many years between finding Lector and meeting Rogue, but the whiteness pulled him through. It reminded him that all sinners would get the retribution they deserved, and he felt better knowing that the boys who said that he lied, the woman who refused him a place to stay, and the man who belittled him were all going to _reap what they sowed_. It gave him a warped mindset, and he'd often spend his time dreaming how those who crossed him and did bad would pay.

But then again, what else was he to do?

* * *

It was growing weaker.

It was caving to his will, and now that he's accepted that even the strong can sin, and that even the weakest of the weak can be better people than the strongest of the strong. It was not the strength of one's magic or body, but the strength of their _hearts_ that would save them in times of need. It was the strength of their passion that would hold them up when they were about to fall. It was the strength of their love that would defeat their greatest demons. He knew that now. After all, the Salamander _himself_ , Natsu Dragneel, had been the one to teach him.

He wasn't perfect yet, and he most likely never would be, but at least now, Sting Eucliffe understood what true strength- and the whiteness- was meant to be.

 

 


	3. The Poison Inside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cobra

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers for Key of the Starry Heavens (filler) arc, GMG arc, and a little bit of the Tartaros arc.

It was in him.

The poison, dirty, _lethal_ poison, was always there. It flowed through his veins, his head, his _heart_. It would corrupt him, except he really didn't care. _Feed me_ , it'd say. _Do as I wish, and freedom will be yours_. When he said that he didn't care much about freedom, just Cubellios, it said that that was fine, and that he'd get his best friend to hear him _as long as he did as it said._

It seemed like an awfully good deal to him.

* * *

It hurt at first.

His body had tried to reject the lacrima (and the poison) it was given, and the magic seemed to try to melt its way through his body. It burned, as if he'd just drunk a vat of acid, and he could feel it swirling, gradually seeping out of its prison of lacrima. There'd been pain, _lots of pain_ , and he'd been able to do nothing but bite his tongue to try to keep up his façade of strength, though that never lasted.

He always screamed in the end.

* * *

It'd been better when he had Cubellios.

His best friend was always there to comfort him, but then she wasn't and he didn't know if anything could hurt more than the hole that had opened up in his heart. The poison liked it. _More room for me_ , it'd said. _You must carve away everything that makes you weak, and then, and only then, you can have power. Your friends make you doubt your allegiance. Obey only me, and you can have everything._

He thought that that was complete bullshit, yet he was still helpless when it began seeping in, and eventually, he was convinced that he _would_ find Cubellios again as long as he _let the poison in_.

* * *

It was his only master.

True, there was Brain, and then there was Midnight (or Brain II), and for a while, it was Jellal (though that was a long, long time ago for a short, short time), but the poison had always come _first_. It'd always been his true master. The poison would make him stronger, and the stronger he was, the more powerful he was, the more powerful he was, the more people listen (and answer). He wanted to be strong. He wanted to be _powerful_. And most of all, he wanted people to _listen_.

Then maybe, just maybe, the gods would answer his prayer.

* * *

His prayer is answered.

He doesn't know if the gods finally got off their lazy asses, or if it was just sheer, dumb _luck_ , but nonetheless, he is glad that it happened. Her appearance is a surprise, but she is still Cubellios, even if she is no longer his loyal snake. After all, he wouldn't return to prison for anyone else.

When he is let out again, this time to fight _dragons_ , he's _ecstatic_ to hear her voice again, however faint it might be. In fact he wasn't sure what he enjoyed more: getting to fight a real dragon (even though it totally whupped his ass) or hearing her again.

And then the next time, it's so _close_ that he could practically _hear_ it: _freedom at last_ (and maybe even Cubellios), the one thing he'd been working for for over a _decade_. Yet as quickly as it came, it was snatched away in an instant by some vigilante guild preaching about repentance for their crimes and making a better world. He almost writes it off as complete bullshit (because it is, and what _right_ does that bastard have to order him around? He was _seconds_ away from death, and all he could think about was this Crime Sorcière crap?), but then-

_Her voice._

_She would want him to do this._

And so, for the same stupid reason he went back to prison, for the same stupid reason he defied the poison again and again when he was younger, Cobra, no, _Erik_ , went with the man he seemed to be destined to meet again and again.


	4. The Lightning Inside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laxus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers for Battle of Fairy Tail arc, Tenroujima arc, and GMG arc

It was in him.

Lightning, _power_ , though really they were one and the same. It crackled through his body, striking any and all things that were weak. It helped him so much, making him strong when he used to be weak, giving him power, so, so much power, shaping him into the man he was now. It gave him a sense of self-worth.

It made him _more_ than Makarov's grandson.

* * *

It made him respect power.

He was young, so, so _young_ when the lacrima was implanted in his body. His grandfather had stood next to him for the whole procedure, letting the boy squeeze his hand as he gradually fell into the anesthesia-induced slumber, while his father watched from afar, preferring to stay away from his son while he was in such a weak state- and because Makarov didn't trust him. It hurt when he woke up, and his insides felt like someone decided to zap him with a bolt of lightning. Yet now, when he looks back to that pain-filled segment of his life, he supposes that it only goes to show that sacrifices had to be made when power was gained, and that in order to gain power, one had to be strong enough to make those sacrifices.

And he knew that he was strong enough.

* * *

He only wished that the power would come to him more quickly.

There was a period of time when he couldn't stand to tell anyone his identity. Every time, the moment he mentioned the name, "Dreyar", their thoughts either jumped straight to his father or grandfather. The first emotion anyone felt after he told him who he was was always one of two: disgust or reverence. He was bullied because he had a _father_ who was expelled and then started a dark guild; he was doted on because he had a _grandfather_ who was a Wizard Saint and master of a very strong guild, Fairy Tail.

He was never just _himself_.

* * *

It helped him learn to use his power.

Because power isn't enough; you had to know how to use your power in order to truly gain respect (or fear; same difference). The lightning didn't do much most of the time. It would occasionally nudge him in the right direction when he was at a loss as to what to do, but it never spoke to him. Honestly, he thought that it'd do more, but then he realized that it didn't need to do more, and that he could get by like this: _all by himself_.

It just meant he had more power, right?

* * *

And then he realized that the power _he_ had _wasn't enough_.

The lightning had given him enough to become (in)famous in his own guild, but few people outside of Magnolia knew of the third Dreyar, save that he was _Makarov's grandson_. And that wasn't _enough_.

He realized that _he_ 'd done enough work, and that the _lightning_ had done enough work. It was the _guild_ 's turn to boost his reputation to the top, now.

It was the only thing holding him back.

* * *

There was always a strange sensation whenever he used his magic.

It was like a barrier, like the lightning was resisting his direction, but he'd always just assumed that it was just another obstacle to overcome, another thing preventing him from attaining power. So he worked hard, and eventually, he overcame it. It was still there, but it was duller, and it didn't affect his magic as much. Or so he thought.

It was only when Fairy Law failed that he realized what the sensation really was: it was the lightning telling him that what he was doing was wrong.

* * *

Its power increased nearly  _tenfold_ after that.

It turns out that he was right: the strange feeling was blocking his magic, and now that he understood a few fundamental things- friendship, family, and respect, his power was completely unleashed and he realized his true potential. Forget Natsu Dragneel and Gajeel Redfox; he had power, enough power to take down _Jura Neekis_ , the strongest human Wizard Saint. Yet just having the power wasn't enough. He had to use it _correctly_ , too.

And Laxus Dreyar finally understood the correct way to use his power: it was for protecting the people and things he holds dear; or at least that's what the lightning taught him.

 

 


	5. The Skies Inside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wendy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers for Nirvana and Edolas arcs (kinda).

They were in her.

The skies, the never-ending, forever-free skies. They were peaceful, they were wild, and sometimes they were both at once. They could heal, and they could hurt. They didn't care that they contradicted themselves. They just wanted to be _free_.

After all, that's what skies do.

* * *

Perhaps that was why she wasn't as sad as she thought she'd be when Grandeeney disappeared.

Sure, she'd walked around for days, crying until she met Jellal, but it wasn't nearly as hard for her to come to terms with the fact that Grandeeney was gone as people said it was for Natsu. He was still obsessed with finding Igneel; she, on the other hand, wasn't nearly as driven, though she'd still like to find her mother. She understood why she'd left. _They_ made her understand why she left.

Because Grandeeney couldn't have left because she didn't love her; it had to have been the skies.

* * *

It was harder for her to understand why Jellal left.

After all, he didn't have the skies inside him as she and Grandeeney did. He didn't have that insatiable desire to be free, to be more free, and then to be freer still. But she also knew that Jellal was on a dangerous quest, that he had to leave her behind for her own safety. So maybe it was all right. After all, he just tied her down again.

Maybe it was better that she was set free from him as well.

* * *

Caitshelter was alright.

It had a warm, loving community, and she loved the guild a lot. It turned out that wizard guilds were loads of fun, and for the most part, the people left her alone, allowing her to do whatever her heart desired. They were there when she needed them and gave her space when she didn't. The skies found no fault with their behavior at all, and they were actually the perfect family. And later, when she found Carla, she found that she didn’t mind the Exceed’s company either, that it wasn’t smothering the way that she felt that company usually was.

For the first time since Grandeeney left, she was at peace.

* * *

It didn't last.

If she had only ever learned one thing from the skies, it would be that things would always change. They'd fall into place, stay for a while, fall apart, stay for a while, then fall into place again. But this time, they'd really fallen apart. What were you supposed to do when you found out that your family that you've been with for the past seven years was an illusion, that they never existed?

It shouldn't have bothered her; after all, it only set her free from even more things tying her down, but the betrayal- and yes, that was what it was, a betrayal- actually _hurt_. It was very strange, the sadness something she hadn't quite experienced before, the long-lasting, hollow feeling staying as a pit in her chest far longer than it ever had before. Although Grandeeney had been her mother, the fact remained that she'd only been with the Sky Dragon for five years while she spent seven among her (fake) family at Caitshelter.

It was the first time she had ever sobbed.

* * *

She hadn't been left alone.

Though she'd been perfectly prepared to set out on her own, as free as the skies (or at least she was supposed to be), she'd been pleasantly surprised when Erza Scarlet had come up to her while she was crying. She could still remember the words the woman had spoken: "Bury the pain of losing your loved ones into the arms of your friends" and that was when she realized that Erza too had experienced this kind of heart-crushing loss. She understood, and the skies liked that.

And when the offer of going to Fairy Tail- another thing to tie her down- was extended, they didn't protest, and she took it gladly.

* * *

They didn’t mind the new ties.

Because Fairy Tail was _different_. It wasn’t the maternal care of Grandeeney. It wasn’t the borderline-smothering protection of Jellal. It wasn’t the laissez-faire attitude of Caitshelter. It was all of that and so much _more_. It was Erza being there to comfort her when she was lonely, it was Lucy always being available to help her, it was Gray always being willing to treat her as an equal, it was Natsu always being the dork he is and making her smile regardless of whether she was in a good or bad mood. It always all of that and still even _more_ , and she found that Fairy Tail was the true home she’d never really had before. It was a band of misfits, but it was _her_ band of misfits, and that was good enough. Maybe the bonds she had with her new guildmates weren’t so bad after all.

Maybe, despite what the skies seem to want, Wendy Marvell needed a family after all.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On the spelling of Grandeeney/Grandine- I honestly don't know which one's correct. I personally like Grandine better (it looks so much cleaner!), but some of the official-ish stuff (mainly the wiki) has been saying Grandeeney, so I've been spelling it that way in this chapter.


End file.
